Window installation system and method

ABSTRACT

In accordance with the present disclosure, a method includes applying uncured polyether on the inside perimeter and on a portion of the outside perimeter of the rough opening prior to attaching the sill plate membrane flashing, the left and right jamb membrane flashings, and the head plate membrane flashing to adhere the sill plate membrane flashing, left and right jamb membrane flashings, and head plate membrane flashings to the material forming the perimeter of the rough opening. The method also includes, prior to each step of attaching, forming the sill plate membrane flashing, left and right jamb membrane flashings, and head plate membrane flashing from a precured sheet of polyether material.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure is directed to protecting to sealing exterior through-openings in structures and, more particularly, to a rough opening penetration surround wrap to provide an environmental barrier for new window installations and retrofit window installations into new and existing buildings.

2. Description of the Related Art

Windows, skylights, sliding doors, and other through-opening installations in exterior walls, ceilings, doors, and other structural components are exposed to the elements, including moisture, such as rain, sleet, hail, snow, as well as moisture vapor, such as fog, clouds, and steam. Regardless of whether the installation involves a new window or a retrofit window in an existing or new building, these installations not only must repel or resist the elements, they must also provide breathability to the structure to allow entrapped or condensed moisture to escape from the area surrounding the installation.

the must, are increasingly retrofitted to replace single pane windows with multiple pane windows, or to install vinyl windows. Multiple layer windows better insulate building interiors and minimize climate control requirements in the building. Vinyl windows further provide improved insulation, aesthetics, and durability. Windows and sliding doors can of course be retrofitted for other reasons, such as to replace worn frames or windows with broken or otherwise damaged window glasses.

In a retrofit installation, removal of old windows is typically accomplished by removing the glass, followed with collapsing of the frame inwardly, which is done by prying the frame away from the sides of the through-opening of the building. This process can damage weather resistant barriers, such as leak preventing papers, which are installed during original construction of buildings. Moreover, conventional retrofit window installations include a window in a frame that is simply fastened to the structure that forms the through-opening. Therefore, fluid leaks around the new window are a common problem.

Although a number of solutions have been proposed to address the sealing of through-opening installations, many do not consider the need to allow air and vapor to pass in both directions. And those approaches that do consider the issue generally involve complex components and cumbersome procedures for installing the components. In addition, increasingly stringent code requirements are forcing owners and builders to resort to less than optimum designs in order to pass inspection.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to primary embodiments and additional embodiments for a rough opening penetration surround wrap for new window installations, retrofit window installations into new and existing buildings, as well as other installations for through-openings formed in structural membranes, including, without limitation, doors, portals, skylights, garage doors, and the like. Thus, rough through-openings or rough openings are formed in walls, ceilings, large doors, and other structural membranes, especially those exposed to the environment where water and moisture vapor are present.

The present disclosure in one aspect provides for a method of installing a high-performance receiver system in a rough opening, such as for window installations, utilizing a minimum number of required components. The method includes attaching a sill plate membrane flashing formed of precured polyether material onto a sill plate of a rough opening formed in a structural membrane; attaching left and right jamb membrane flashings formed of precured polyether material on left and right sidewalls of the rough opening to overlap at least a portion of the sill plate membrane flashing; attaching a head plate membrane flashing formed of precured polyether material on a head in the rough opening to overlap at least a portion of the left and right jamb membrane flashings to form a continuous barrier membrane around an entire inside perimeter and an exterior perimeter of the rough opening.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, the method includes applying uncured polyether on the inside perimeter and on a portion of the outside perimeter of the rough opening prior to attaching the sill plate membrane flashing, the left and right jamb membrane flashings, and the head plate membrane flashing to adhere the sill plate membrane flashing, left and right jamb membrane flashings, and head plate membrane flashings to the material forming the perimeter of the rough opening.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, the method includes, prior to each step of attaching, forming the sill plate membrane flashing, left and right jamb membrane flashings, and head plate membrane flashing from a precured sheet or roll of polyether material.

In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the method includes attaching the sill plate membrane flashing, left and right jamb membrane flashings, and head plate membrane flashing to the material of the rough opening with uncured polyether and non-metal or coated metal fasteners.

In accordance with yet a further aspect of the present disclosure, the method also includes forming the sill plate membrane flashing to have a flat base panel to be adhered to the sill plate, an upright back wall and left and right upright sidewalls depending away from the base panel orthogonally in a first direction that would be towards a head plate in the rough opening when installed in the rough opening, and further forming a front panel projecting orthogonally away from the base panel in a direction that is opposite to the back wall and left and right sidewalls.

The foregoing system provides the end user with a number of benefits, including a minimum number of easy-to-install components that facilitates high production and accelerated installation proficiency. The combination of these two elements results in lower direct costs per installation. In addition, there is increased quality control and quality assurance because the system and method provides full “engineering” control by utilization of precured or prefabricated components that have precision tolerances to produce uniform installations through reduction or elimination of potential variances between individual installers. In addition, a fully integral and continuous barrier membrane throughout the rough opening is formed to have exceptional high-vapor permeability. This is a deliberate design feature intended to counteract the negative and detrimental effects associated with the use of bituminous and other self-adhering or peel-n-stick membrane materials that have limited, reduced, or no vapor permeability.

In addition to the foregoing, the installation and method of the present disclosure ensures a complete and continuous future rough opening protection—post window installation—through a single component wrap that incorporates a prefabricated and pre-engineered fully integral interior air barrier seal. This seal is included in a single component design in conjunction with the order of installation, which provides a naturally occurring fully sealed and contained panning or tray assembly that can be used to create and facilitate sill or sub-sill drainage regions.

Moreover, the easy weather resistant barrier integration into the pre-engineered receiver system along with the face of perimeter rough opening sheathing provides a high degree of trade sequencing flexibility via WRB receiver “jambing flaps,” which allow for building papers and other exterior moisture barrier wraps to be installed at the time of the rough opening dressing or at a later time without the inherent disadvantages of material breakdown or damage to the rough opening framing and perimeter sheathing.

Yet a further benefit is the use of thin-rolled adhesive-backed or sealant-applied high-vapor permeable precured polyether-based material composition that is flexible and malleable, provides reduced buildup within the rough opening (decreasing net opening size) and eliminating fisheyes and bellows within the wrap. Thus, the present installation and method ensures fully continuous and tenacious bondlines to the face of the sheathing and the rough opening framing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing features and other advantages of the present disclosure will be more readily appreciated as the same become better understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view depicting a first step of installing a sill plate membrane flashing in a through-opening formed in a structural wall in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view depicting a second step of installing left and right jam membrane flashings in the through-opening of the structural wall of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view depicting a third step of installing a head membrane flashing in the through-opening of the structural wall of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a completed installation of the membrane flashings of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a window installation formed in accordance with the present disclosure using the membrane formed in FIGS. 1-4; and

FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate two versions of supply rolls for the membrane formed in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed embodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures or components or both associated with rough opening installations, including but not limited to windows, skylights, and doors, have not been shown or described in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims that follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open inclusive sense, that is, as “including, but not limited to.” The foregoing applies equally to the words “including” and “having.”

Reference throughout this description to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

Although the present disclosure is described in the context of a rough through-opening or rough opening for a window, it is to be understood that the present disclosure can be applied to other installations, such as skylights, doors, and the like. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to window installations.

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate one aspect of the present disclosure in which a fully continuous barrier membrane 10 (shown completely assembled in FIG. 4) is installed in a rough through-opening or rough opening 12 formed in a structural membrane 14. The structural membrane can be an exterior wall, ceiling, or other structural feature that is exposed to the environment. Here, the rough opening 12 is of rectangular or square shape, although it can have other shapes, such as circular, oval, a polygon, or any other geometric shape.

In this installation, the rough opening 12 is a framed opening designed to receive a window. Generally, two vertical king studs 11 define the space in which the rough opening 12 is formed. The rough opening frame includes a sill plate 16, sidewalls formed by a trimmer stud 18, and a head plate or head 20 that rests on the trimmer studs or sidewalls 18. Because the construction of a window rough opening is well known, it will not be described in greater detail.

Preferably, the membrane 10 is formed of high-vapor permeable precured polyether-based material composition. For most applications, the polyether has a thickness of ⅛ inch or less and, more preferably, has a thickness in the range of 40 mil to and including 60 mil.

The first step in forming the membrane 10 is to form a sill plate membrane flashing 22. This sill plate flashing 22 is shaped by taking a sheet of polyether material and cutting and bending it to have the shape shown in FIG. 1. More particularly, the sill plate membrane flashing 22 will be shaped to have a flat base panel 24 that will be applied to the sill 16, an upright back wall 26 formed by bending a portion of the base panel 24 upward to be essentially orthogonal to the base panel 24. In addition, left and right upright sides 28 are formed by bending side portions of the base panel 24 upward to be orthogonal to the base panel and project in the same direction as the back wall 26. Thus, when the sill plate membrane flashing 22 is installed in the rough opening 12, the back wall 26 and left and right upright sidewalls 28 will project upwards towards the head 20. In addition, a front panel 30 is formed by bending a long strip depending off the base panel 24 to be orthogonal to the base panel 24 and in a direction opposite that of the back wall 26.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sill plate membrane flashing 22 is sized to be received within the rough opening 12 so that the left and right upright sidewalls 28 are flush against the left and right sidewalls 18, and the back wall 26 projects far enough into the opening 20 to butt against the back of the window to be installed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the combination of the base panel 24, back wall 26, and left and right upright sidewalls 28 form a tray or receiver that has an open front to facilitate collection and drainage of moisture. In most installations, the front panel 30 will have left and right extensions 32 that project approximately 4-6 inches beyond the length of the base panel 24 to provide additional sealing and enable overlapping with other flashing membranes, as described more fully below.

Priori to installing the sill plate membrane flashing 22 in the rough opening 12, an adhesive, preferably viscous polyether, is applied to the structural membrane 14. More particularly, a bead of the viscous polyether is applied along the sill 16 and a portion of the exterior face 34 in an area under the sill 16 where the front panel 30 and extensions 32 will be applied. Alternatively, the viscous polyether could be applied to the flexible polyether membrane 22 that forms the sill plate membrane flashing, although this could make it slightly more difficult to handle the flashing 22 during installation.

FIG. 2 shows the sill plate membrane flashing 22 placed inside the rough opening 12 to bear against the structural membrane 14 and the sill 16.

Also shown in FIG. 2 are the left and right jamb membrane flashings 36 formed of the polyether material to have a shape similar to that of the sill plate membrane flashing 22. In other words, each jamb membrane flashing 36 has a base panel 38 with a back wall 40 extending orthogonally therefrom and a sidewall 42 extending from one side of the base panel 38, preferably the side that will be adjacent the head 20. There is no sidewall formed on the base panel to be adjacent the sill 16. Rather, the base panel 38 has a length that overlaps with the upright sidewall 28 so that moisture runs down the base panel 38 of the left and right jamb membrane flashing 36 into the base panel 24 without getting behind the sill plate membrane flashing 22.

In addition, each of the left and right jamb membrane flashings 36 has a front panel 44 projecting orthogonally from the base panel 38 in a direction opposite to the back wall 40 and sidewall 42. The front panel 44 also has extensions 46 that extend beyond the length of the base panel 38.

When installed, as shown in FIG. 3, the left and right jamb membrane flashings 36 will have the extensions 46 overlapping the extensions 32 on the front panel 30 of the sill plate membrane flashing 22. In addition, the base panel 38 will overlap the left and right upright sidewalls 28 of the sill plate membrane flashing 22. When installed in this order, the overlapping of the flashings will direct moisture downward and prevent entry of moisture at the intersection of the flashings.

Also shown in FIG. 3 is a head plate membrane flashing 48 formed to have a similar configuration to the other flashings in that it has a base panel 50 with a back wall 52 depending orthogonally therefrom and a front panel 54 also depending orthogonally therefrom in a direction opposite to that of the back wall 52. The front panel 54 also has extensions 56 on each side that extend beyond the length of the base panel 50. No sidewalls are formed on the head plate membrane flashing 48, although sidewalls could be formed to provide additional overlap with the left and right jamb membrane flashings 36.

As described previously with respect to the sill plate membrane flashing 22, a bead of viscous polyether is applied to the rough opening framing membranes and to the exterior surface 34 adjacent the rough opening 12 of the structural membrane 14 prior to applying the left and right jamb membrane flashings 36 and the head plate membrane flashing 48.

The head plate membrane flashing 48 is then positioned inside the rough opening 12 so that the extensions 56 of the front panel 54 overlap the extensions 46 of the front panel 44 of each of the left and right jamb membrane flashings 36.

FIG. 4 illustrates the completed rough opening penetration surround wrap membrane 10 installed in the rough opening 12 of the structural membrane 14. As can be seen from FIG. 4, the membrane 14 provides a perimeter lining around the faces of the rough opening 12 as well as around the perimeter on the face 34 of the structural membrane 14. The order of installation of the four flashings provides overlap of the flashings such that moisture will run downward without seeping between the flashing intersections.

It is to be understood that the order of the various steps in the method of forming the window installation can be varied. For example, all of the flashings can be preformed prior to installation. Alternatively, the flashings can each be formed just prior to installation. Each of the flashings may be formed in the field or preformed in the shop prior to installation in the field.

FIG. 5 illustrates a window installation using the membrane 10 formed in FIGS. 1-4. Here, the window 72 is placed in the prepared rough opening 12 so that the back edges of the top, bottom, and sides of the window 72 butt up against the back walls 26, 40, and 52 of the flashings 22, 36, and 48. Hence, the depth of the base panels 24, 38, 50 is selected to match the depth of the window 72 so that there is contact around the inside perimeter of the window and the membrane 10.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate two optional forms for providing the polyether material from which the flashings are constructed. In FIG. 6A, a roll 60 of precured polyether without adhesive backing is provided with a preformed back wall 62. The polyether material can be extruded so that the back wall 62 is already formed in place when removed from the roll 60. In FIG. 6B, the roll 62 has an adhesive backing 64 that is protected by a cover sheet 66.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure. 

1. A method, comprising: attaching a sill plate membrane flashing formed of precured polyether material onto a sill plate of a rough opening formed in a structural membrane; attaching left and right jamb membrane flashings formed of precured polyether material on left and right sidewalls of the rough opening to overlap at least a portion of the sill plate membrane flashing; attaching a head plate membrane flashing formed of precured polyether material on a head in the rough opening to overlap at least a portion of the left and right jamb membrane flashings to form a continuous barrier membrane around an entire inside perimeter and an exterior perimeter of the rough opening.
 2. The method of claim 1, comprising applying uncured polyether on the inside perimeter and on a portion of the outside perimeter of the rough opening prior to attaching the sill plate membrane flashing, the left and right jamb membrane flashings, and the head plate membrane flashing to adhere the sill plate membrane flashing, left and right jamb membrane flashings, and head plate membrane flashings to the material forming the perimeter of the rough opening.
 3. The method of claim 1, comprising, prior to each step of attaching, forming the sill plate membrane flashing, left and right jamb membrane flashings, and head plate membrane flashing from a precured sheet of polyether material.
 4. The method of claim 1, comprising attaching the sill plate membrane flashing, left and right jamb membrane flashings, and head plate membrane flashing to the material of the rough opening with uncured polyether and non-metal fasteners.
 5. The method of claim 1, comprising forming the sill plate membrane flashing to have a flat base panel to be adhered to the sill plate, an upright back wall and left and right upright sidewalls depending away from the base panel orthogonally in a first direction that would be towards a head plate in the rough opening when installed in the rough opening, and further forming a front panel projecting orthogonally away from the base panel in a direction that is opposite to the back wall and left and right sidewalls. 